Fresh-air tempering means for building units



Aug- 8, 44- 4 E. D. ROBERTSON FRESH AIR TEMPE RING MEANS FOR BUILDING UNITS.

Filed July 27, 1945 E DWARD D. ROBERTSON.

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BOX

Patented Aug. 8, 1944 FRESH-AIR TEMPERING MEANS FOR BUILDING UNITS Edward D. Robertson, Helena, Ark.

Application July 27, 1943, SerialNo. 496,341

7 Claims.

This invention relates to tempering air for use in a housing unit or other building structure and the primary object is to ensure a constant supply of fresh air at a uniform temperature without employing complicated and expensive apparatus to accomplish this result.

Another object of the invention is to utilize a known geophysical fact to supply a house or the like with fresh air at a uniform temperature irrespective of the atmospheric temperature conditions prevailing exteriorly thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fresh air feeding system for a dwelling wherein the atmospheric air is tempered by natural means alone.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a duplex underground air feed for a dwelling or housing -unit wherein under normal urban and suburban living conditions a constant supply of fresh air tempered to the uniform underground temperature may be supplied.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from a detail description thereof, wherein only a preferred form of embodiment of the invention is shown and described, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the system installed in a sunken basement shown in section with a portion of the buried air feed pipes shown in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 with the motor and fan beingshown in elevation.

Figure 3 is a view of the inlet end of one of the buried air feed pipes.

-It is a well known geophysical fact that the earth and air at a certain depth below the surface of the ground maintains a uniformtemperature of approximately 50 F. both winter and summer. This depth varies according to the latitude of the particular locality but within the continental limits of the United States is of such a depth that it is practical to install underground conduits or pipes at such a level. This known fact is utilized in this invention to temper atmospheric air that is fed to a dwelling or other building structure. Modern air conditioning for building structures is usually accomplished by artificial cooling or heating which requires the installation of expensive apparatus. By the employment of the natural result noted, I am able to temper atmospheric air to a uniform temperature before it is fed to the building structure irrespective of the prevailing atmospheric tem- 55 peratures and without the use of expensive apparatus.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, there is shown in Figures 1 and 2, the-system installed in the basement I of a dwelling or like building structure, not shown. Atmospheric air is fed through underground pipes 2 and 3 into the basement through a wall thereof and hence up into the building or house. Each pipe upon passing through the wall is connected with a casing 4 having-at one end a hood 5 with a collar 6 that engages the pipe end. The casing 4 rests upon the floor of the basement and has an opening or outlet I in the top thereof.

Within each casing 4 is mounted an electric motor 9, on a block 8, which is adapted to be driven from a suitable source of current. On one end of the motor shaft is mounted a suction fan Ill arranged Within the hood 5 adjacent the end of the air inlet pipe. Wires I I connect the terminals of each motor with a switch box I2 located on the wall of the basement or at any other convenient place in the housing or dwelling. The motors 9 that operate the suction fans I 6 to draw air into the house or dwelling may be controlled separately by manual operable switches in the box H! or a time controlled double throw switch may be provided. The essential idea in this duplex air feed system is that one suction fan may operate while the other is idle and various means for accomplishing this result are within the purview of my invention.

The air feed pipes 2 and 3 are preferably formed of salt glazed vitrified material. Usually these pipes are formed of sections connected by the conventional bell and socket joints, one of which is illustrated at l3 in Figure 1 of the drawing. The pipes 2 and 3 are buried underground to the necessary depth at which a uniform temperature is maintained. The diameter and length of each pipe is determined by the size of the building structure but is sufi'icient to temper the air contained therein to the uniform temperature prevailing at the depth at which the pipes are buried underground. The arrangement of the pipes or conduits 2 and 3 underground is optional but in Figure 1 they are shown as surrounding the basement I. This arrangement minimizes space where the available land area is restricted as in urban sections.

In Figure 3 is shown the atmospheric air inlet to one of the pipes or conduits. An extension l4 projects upwardly from the level at which the pipes are buried. to above the ground level and is preferably capped as shown at l5.

The outside air that enters the pipes or conduits 2 and 3 in due time acquires the uniform temperature prevailing at the level beneath the ground at which the pipes are buried. This is approximately 50 F. irrespective of the temperature of the air upon entering the pipe through the extension l4. While under certain conditions, the natural draft would cause a flow of air through the pipes into the house or dwelling, such is usually not sufficient to properly distribute the tempered air throughout the building structure and the use of the housed suction fan is more practical and effective for accomplishing this purpose. The rate of flow caused by each fan is determined by the size of the housing unit and length and dimension of the inlet ipes or conduits.

The purpose of the duplex air feed is to ensure the atmospheric air is properly tempered before it enters the housing unit. The suction fans are alternately operated so that when the tempered air is exhausted from one length of pipe, the motor circuit is broken and the fan stops. The circuit to the other motor is then closed and its fanoperates to draw the tempered air from the other pipe into the basement and hence into the dwelling. When this operation is synchronized, there is an uninterrupted flow of fresh tempered air. Where there are extremes of atmospheric temperature or where under certain conditions it is impractical to have a pipe or conduit long enough to properly interchange the air temperature during its passage through the underground pipe, this duplex arrangement permite a time interval or storage of the atmospheric air in the pipe not being used and ensures all air being uniformly tempered before delivery into the housing unit. Even under normal conditions, it embodies a safety factor whereby the system will always deliver properly tempered air.

The feeding of the air to a restricted basement shown is merely illustrative as the fan casings may be mounted in a' conventional cellar and the buried inlet pipes tapped through the wall or the tempered air fed directly through the floor of a house. The arrangement of the underground pipes or conduits shown is also optional and may be varied according to available space or conditions. These pipes are preferably made of vitrified ceramic material that is salt glazed as such material affords a quick temperature interchange and is durable in the use to which the pipes are applied. In the inlet pipe where the suction fan is not operating, there is a slight flow of uniformly tempered air to the house due to the natural draft but this is. so slight that practically all the air in the pipe is brought to the uniform temperature by the natural means described. Thus, when the flow is accelerated by the operation of the suction fan, the delivery of fresh tempered air is positive for a limited time. This time permits the positive temper ing of the air in the other pipe by the deceleration of air flow when its suction fan is not operating.

This fresh air tempering installation is adapted for use with housing units of the dwelling type or storage units. By the natural means described and without separate heating or cooling a constant supply of fresh air at approximately 50 F. may be supplied irrespective of outside temperatures. This enhances the comfort and health of the occupants of a dwelling or maintains an even temperature in the storage of commodities affected by extreme variations in temperature. The duplex feed of the air renders the device positive in operation under normal or abnormal conditions.

I claim:

1. An air tempering system comprising a plurality of air conduits buried underground to a depth where a uniform temperature is maintained, each conduit having an atmospheric air inlet at one end and the other end terminating in a housing unit, and means alternatively operative to positively feed the air through only one of said conduits at a time.

2. An air tempering system comprising a plurality of air conduits buried underground to a depth where a uniform temperature is maintained, each conduit having an atmospheric air inlet at one end and the other end terminating in a housing unit, and means alternatively operative to mechanically draw the air from only one of said conduits at a time.

3. An air tempering system comprising a pair of air conduits buried underground to a depth Where a uniform temperature is maintained, each conduit having an atmospheric air inlet at one end and the other end terminating in a housing unit, and means alternatively operative to accelerate the flow of air from one conduit while it remains substantially quiescent in the other.

4. An air tempering system comprising a pair of air conduits buried underground to a depth where a uniform temperature is maintained, each conduit having an atmospheric air inlet at one end and the other end terminating in a housing unit, a suction fan at the terminal end of each conduit, and means to alternately operate said fans.

5. An air tempering system comprising a pair of air conduits buried underground to a depth where a uniform temperature is maintained, each conduit having an atmospheric air inlet at one end and the other end terminating in a housing unit, a casing in the housing unit for each conduit having one end connected with the conduit and an outlet opening, a motor driven suction fan in each casing, and means to alternately operate said motors and fans.

6. The combination with a housing unit of a pair of underground air inlet pipes extending an appreciable distance beneath the ground before terminating in a fresh air inlet, said pipes being buried to a depth where a uniform temperature is maintained which is transferred to the air in the pipes, and means to alternatively draw the air out of one of the pipes into the housing unit while the temperature interchange takes place in the other pipe.

, 7. The combination with a housing unit of a pair of underground air inlet pipes extending an appreciable distance .beneath the ground before terminating in a fresh air inlet, said pipes being buried to a depth where a uniform temperature is maintained which is transferred to the air in the pipes, and means to alternately accelerate and decelerate the flow of fresh air through said pipes to the housing unit.

EDWARD D. ROBERTSON. 

